


Cat's Got Your Tongue

by almightyk_fish



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, More tags to be added, Multi, Slow Burn, eventually i promise, gratuitous references, i'm prob always gonna be super sleepy when i update please forgive, no sin here, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-14 11:18:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14134998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almightyk_fish/pseuds/almightyk_fish
Summary: Chat admits he has girl problems. Marinette is surprised, but offers her advice, citing problems of her own.





	1. She's Dead, Jim

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! I wrote this a few nights ago with the intention that it would be a oneshot, but now it's evolving into more of a Full Fic type deal! As such, please forgive any odd up-top formatting, I'm working on making it all one fic rather than a series of vaguely connected oneshots. More notes at the end!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the first days of the rest of their lives were never so awkward.

“Hey Marinette, how do I talk to girls?”

Marinette struggled not to spit out her tea in surprise; those were just about the last words she ever expected to hear cross Chat Noir’s lips. “I- uhh- What?”

Chat turned, leaning on his elbows against the railing of her balcony, gazing down at the street. “How do I talk to girls? Like, I can _talk_ to them, but it turns out I can’t really seem to _talk_ talk to them, you know?” He cast her a bashful half-smile. “Sorta stuck on this one, Princess.”

“You? Girl troubles?” Marinette raised an eyebrow, smirking. “I thought you sorted everything out with Ladybug?”

“I mean, I did,” he explained, looking back out over the city, “but since then I’ve realised I might have grown feelings for someone else. She’s kind, clever, adorable… and I have no idea how to tell her. At school, it’s like she’s afraid of me - or, well, she used to be. She’s slowly warming up to me, I think?” He gave a vaguely exaggerated shrug. “I dunno, I think I’ve fallen for her…”

“Oh, no... Alright, look,” Marinette began, setting her cup down before standing to her feet. “You said she’s kind and clever. You’re a good guy, right? Maybe doing something nice for her will get her attention.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm. Maybe… I like pastries. Maybe bring some cookies or something to school with you, share them around with your friends but offer her one?”

Chat gave a nod, seemingly determined. “Got it. What else?”

“Uhh, I dunno, talk to her about music? Do you know who she likes?”

“Jagged Stone, definitely. Should I try to make her a mixtape or something?”

Marinette smiled. “Absolutely! Just, maybe not a tape, almost nobody has tape decks any more. Maybe a thumb drive? I’m- well. I’m kinda making one myself, at the moment.”

Chat paused, looking over at Marinette, his expression hard to place. “You are?”

A blush. “Yeah… I’m having similar problems, I think. I know what to do- like, Alya’s great, she always knows what I should do, but it’s always just… At the last moment, I can’t _do_ it.” She leant back against the railing, resting her elbows against the banister as she stared at her feet. _If only I could take my own advice,_ she thought.

Chat was quiet for a while. He watched Marinette’s expression for a moment, before looking away, somewhat crestfallen. When he did eventually pipe up, he was much quieter. “Is he nice?”

“He is. Too nice,” she sighed. “I’m always so determined that, you know, this time I’ll do it! I’ll tell him! But… I never manage to get the words out. Heart beats a million miles an hour, I’m a stuttering mess, I can barely even _look_ at him... I always end up making a fool of myself.”

“You could never make a fool of yourself, Princess,” Chat reassured softly, offering a weak smile.

“No, but- look, the other week, I ran into him in my pyjamas,” she explained, gesturing animatedly. “I ended up pretending like it was completely intentional all day, hoping he wouldn’t bring it up- he didn’t, thankfully, but… I dunno, it doesn’t even matter, there was an akuma attack and we got separated, and Adrien almost died, and-”  
  
“Wait,” Chat’s head whirled. “Adrien? As in, Adrien Agreste?”

Marinette flushed a deep red, eyes focusing sharply on her feet once more. “I- uh, yeah. That Adrien.”  
  
Chat pursed his lips together, eyes wide. “Tell you what. Keep working on that mix tape. I’ll… see if I can talk to that girl. If it works out, I’ll come bearing the most sagely of advice for you to uh, woo Adrien with?” His words came quicker than normal, like they were rushed, as a faint pink crept over his cheeks.

“I’d like that- wait, where are you going?”

“I just remembered, I had to do something at home. I’ll be back before you know it okay goodbye!” Chat hastily made his escape, and Marinette couldn’t help but wonder what it was she’d said for him to dart away so quickly.

* * *

 

“Hey, Mari.”

Marinette almost _died_.

“Oh, Adrien!” She practically yelped, scrambling in her seat, tucking the textbook she _absolutely hadn’t been doodling in_ swiftly into her bag, almost knocking her lunch off the table. “It’s see to good you today! I mean - ugh - it’s good to see you today!” She smiled, a creeping redness slowly spreading over her cheeks in embarrassment.

“I actually- well, I kind of wanted to talk to you actually,” he chuckled ( _oh goddddddd_ ). “Mind if I sit?”

“I- uh- go ahead?” _OH GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD ALYA WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED ME LIKE THIS TODAY SAVE ME_  
  
Adrien sat down next to her at the lunch table, tucking in a little closer ( _!!!!_ ) than usual.  
  
“Soooooo…”

“Soooooo,” Marinette echoed, not meeting his eyes. She as much hoped this was about some school subject, as she _wished_ it wasn’t.

“You, uh… come here? Often?” He paused a moment, also avoiding direct eye contact, before pulling something paper-wrapped from his school bag. “Look, I’m not good at this, I brought cookies. You want some?”

Marinette blinked at him. “Uh, sure.”

Adrien slowly unwrapped the cookies, offering one to Marinette before taking one for himself. “I’m glad you’re having some,” Marinette spoke quietly.

“Hey, what my father doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

They nibbled on the cookies quietly for a while, the tension palpable. It had only been two days since her talk with Chat Noir, and, honestly, she didn’t think it was enough. There was no Alya pep talk today to get her in the groove, no _nothing_. She was on her own.

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien eventually began, “I sorta wanted to tell you, I-”

“ _ImadeyouamixtapekindaIhopeyoulikeit_ ,” Marinette blurted, thrusting a small pink USB drive towards him, cheeks burning.

For a moment, there was stillness.

Marinette nearly died. _Again_. Truly, it was a miracle she remained seated.

And then, in a twist absolutely _nobody_ expected, _Adrien pulled a USB of his own_ from his pocket. “Heh, funny that, so did I?”

Nope, she was dead.

“Listen, Mari… I really, _really_ like you, and was hoping we could hang out more? I mean, not- not as friends, maybe?” Adrien paused, blushing anxiously as he scratched at the back of his neck. “I… I get it if you’re nervous- me too? Maybe listen to the music, if it helps make up your mind?”

… Yep. Definitely dead. Here rest the bones of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, taken too soon by way of a heart, exploded. It was all she could do to just nod stiffly as her blush stained what she thought was her entire face a deep red. “I- no, um- yes?”

The blonde beamed from ear to ear, and suddenly, she was alive again. “I mean, YES! Of course!” She blurted. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes- am I coming on too strong? Oh no, I’m coming on too strong, aren’t I?”

“Not at all,” Adrien laughed, pulling her ( _dead once again_ ) into an only-slightly-awkward hug. “So hey, Friday night, I was hoping… maybe we could get dinner somewhere? As not-friends?”

All Marinette could do, really, was to nod slowly into his shoulder, which she (dead) clung to for dear life. “Th-that would be amazing…”

“That’s… literally the best thing I’ve heard all week. It’s a date, then?”

No verbal response this time, just vigorous nodding and more clinging. Adrien giggled a little, taking a bite of another cookie. “Need me to stay here for a bit while you process everything?”

Slower nodding. Gentler clinging.

“Okay. Take all the time you need.”

And Marinette, very much alive, did just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! This has kind of become a full fic now, so please, any constructive criticism or advice is very much welcome!  
> Thank you all for your lovely comments, too <3


	2. Crazy Random Happenstance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rooftop conversation about a day that went well.

Ladybug cast a protective gaze over Paris, the Eiffel Tower glimmering in the distance. She liked patrolling on nights like this; the city was relaxed, with not an akuma in sight as she settled atop an apartment building. Tonight was especially delightful, she thought, still giddy over her… interaction. With Adrien today.

A familiar voice crept from the shadows. “You’re early,” he purred, slinking up beside her with a smirk.

“No, you’re just late,” she teased, giving her partner a playful bump on the shoulder. “What kept you?”

“Oh, you know, work stuff, the usual,” Chat shrugged, crouching down, surveying the area briefly before looking back up at her. “I hope you can find it in your heart to  _fur_ give me?”

“Goodness, Chaton, was that a pun?” Ladybug feigned offense. “Why, no sin is more un  _fur_ givable!”

“What a shame, I thought it was  _paws_ itively astounding.” Chat bat his eyelids innocently, sitting properly before tapping the rooftop beside him, beckoning Ladybug to sit with him.

She rolled her eyes, giving her head a little shake as she obliged. A comfortable quiet passed between the two for a moment as they watched the city go by, the lights twinkling, sprawling beneath them.

“Good day, otherwise?”

Chat looked up, a little confused. “Hm?”

“You know, apart from the work thing. Good day?”

“Oh, yeah, it was awesome. I…” He trails off, looking a little guilty for a moment. “Y’know, I actually asked someone out today.”

“Oh?” Ladybug’s eyes widened. He’d gone through with it, then. “You did?”

“Yeah. Friend of mine, from school. She’s super sweet and caring, you’d probably get along,” he hummed, not really meeting her gaze, instead staring off into the distance.

She felt a small pang of emotion, simultaneously glad that he’d successfully managed to move on, but… maybe also a little guilty.  _It will pass_ , she thought. “...Did she say yes?”

Chat gave a chuckle, reclining. “Yeah, she did. I made her a mix tape, stuck it on a little USB for her. Her face when I gave it to her was adorable.”

Ladybug smiled fondly.  “I’m so happy for you! I… I actually gave a mix tape to the guy I liked today, too.”

“The guy from your school?” Chat looked up at her, curious.

“Yeah… turns out, both of us had a good day, Kitty.” She beamed.

“Well,” Chat smirked, “I couldn’t have imagined anyone saying no to you, my Lady.”

“You’d honestly be surprised. It took me like, eight years to talk to him about it. I’m not half as confident as you are with stuff like this.”

“You don’t need to be, apparently. Just… be yourself.”

The quiet between them grew momentarily uneasy, as Chat realised what he had said.

“I… sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Crickets.

“... This won’t change our partnership at all, will it?”

Chat stiffened for a moment, looking up at his partner like she’d just spoken in gibberish. I mean, sure, it was maybe a tiny bit awkward, but…

“I’ll always be by your side when you need me, Ladybug. Nobody could ever change that.”

Ladybug gave a relieved sigh, before raising her fist, holding it above his torso.

“What…?”

“We did good today.”

Chat smirks, curling a hand into a fist and tapping it against hers. “Yeah, I guess we did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I've literally shifted this over from my other stuff, so please excuse the notifications and movement and things. I tripped and fell into 'oh god this is full on fic territory' so uh, enjoy my continued posting.  
> As before, open to constructive criticism! Enjoy the ride guys <3


	3. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two not-friends get ready for a night of action.

Alya was enjoying this.

“I have no idea what to do! He’ll be here in twenty minutes, Alya,  _twenty minutes_! I don’t even know what to wear!”

“Relax, girl, you do you,” she reassured, pressing her phone between her cheek and shoulder, idly folding clothes as she listened to her friend’s (frankly unwarranted) crisis. “You said he was coming over your place?”

“I- well, I mean-  _ugh_ , yes, he’s gonna be here, in my house, with me. Yes.”

“Okay. I’m gonna lay you down some ground rules, you listening?”

“What?”

“Quit daydreaming. Rules,” she began, placing the jumper she’d folded on the edge of the couch as she shot a quick ‘I’m watching you’ look at her sisters. “First, movies are great home dates. Romantic comedy  _works_ but you want to be invested in  _your_ relationship, not some five-second fling between some Hollywood starlet and Jake McJakerson.”

“Jake McJakerson?”

“Face swap a bunch of movie stars,  _tell_ me they don’t all just blend into the same person after a while. Anyway, you wanna watch an action movie. Maybe Pacific Rim, there’s still interesting character dynamics but the plot is basically just Mecha Strike But A Movie Tee-Em,” the redhead joked, shifting the phone to her other ear.

“Action movie, okay.”

“Okay, good, we’re making progress. Rule two-”

Alya was cut off by a high pitched shriek from the other end of the line, almost causing her to drop her phone in surprise.

“Jesus, Mari, are you okay? There’s not an akuma near you, is there? Do I need to get my camera?”

“ _HE’S E A R L Y,_ ” came Marinette’s panicked reply, before the phone beeped, indicating she had hung up.

That girl was a  _mess_. She couldn’t wait to hear more.

* * *

 

“Marinette! Adrien’s here!”

“I’ll be right down!” Marinette called downstairs, frantically throwing on a jumper. She was in her pyjamas  _again_ , she had to at least  _try_ and look somewhat respectable.

“What if he thinks it’s cute?” Tikki suggested, gesturing to the paw-printed pyjama pants her wielder wore with an approving smile.

“Are you kidding? I can’t be seen in these! I’ll die!”

“ _I_ like them. And besides, he’s here super early! He’s not the type to judge you for not necessarily being totally ready yet.”

There was the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and Marinette shot the kwami a look as she moved for the trap door. Before she got to it, her phone buzzed, making her jump.

 

**Alya:  rule 2: fill me in on a l l the deets ;) go be w loverboy xx**

 

There was a knock at the trap door. “Can I come in?”  _Adrien_.

“I-in a second!” Marinette answered, looking frantically at her kwami. “Hide, I’ll find you if I need help.”

Tikki nodded dutifully, zooming towards Marinette’s stash of knitting supplies. Once safely hidden, Marinette pulled her trap door open to see the _love of her goddamn life_ waiting on the ladder before her.

“H-hey, fancy seeing you here!” She joked.

“You know, I was just about to say the same thing,” Adrien beamed. “I can come in?”

“Yep. Make yourself at home,” Marinette gestured to the room, a blush spreading across her face as she stepped briefly out of the way and Adrien came in.

Adrien himself was comfortably dressed - approximately his usual getup, but with a burgundy sweater-style jumper instead of an overshirt. He was, Marinette thought, the picture of perfect - and she was here in her pyjamas. “The pants are cute,” he smiled, stretching as he stood up properly.

“I- uh,” Marinette faltered, her pink cheeks blushing a deeper red. She would not let this be the end of her so easily. “Uh... Not as cute as you?” She tried, hand shooting up to scratch the back of her head anxiously.

Adrien laughed - that beautiful laugh - and Marinette wasn’t sure whether she should feel at ease or worry she went too far, until Adrien put an arm around her comfortingly. “No, you,” he chuckled, opening his arms in an invite for hugs which Marinette all too readily accepted as an excuse to hide her cheeks.

“I’m not good at this,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“You’re doing fine, promise,” he reassured, gently scratching where his hand fell between her shoulder blades. “Anyway, did you have anything in mind for tonight?”

“Maybe a movie? Y-you like robots, right?”

“I’m listening?”

“Have you seen Pacific Rim?”

“I can pretend I haven’t if it means we get to make doe eyes at all the action sequences,” Adrien gave a small smirk, leaning back so he could see Marinette’s face. “Should we set up downstairs?”

“N-no! I mean,” Marinette pulled away slightly and, rather than making doe eyes, looked for a moment somewhat more reminiscent of a deer in headlights, before seemingly settling again. “I can stream it on my computer. We can stay up here. I’ve got heaps of snacks, and I can always run downstairs really quick if we want something a bit more substantial. We could sit on my chaise together? Or build a pillow fort or something...?”

Adrien’s eyes lit up. “If we built a nest or something, like out of pillows…?”

“I... think that might just be the best idea ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading! You might have noticed I'm doing maintenance on this stuff and mooshing it all into one work, so this is where I'll be continuing Date Night from now on! The other versions of chapters 2 and 3 will be left up for a week so people can still get their comment responses though :)  
> Let me know if you enjoyed!


	4. Secret Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movies. Pillow forts. Fairy lights. Pocky.
> 
> Side note, if you haven't seen the first 20 minutes of the first Pacific Rim, minor movie spoilers. Noted here because I fucking love this movie and would hate to ruin it accidentally for anyone who wants to see it.

A computer chair, chaise, approximately ten regular pillows, one oversized cat cushion, two sheets, two blankets and an awkward number of clothes pegs later, and Marinette had seemingly forgotten her concerns over her clothing and had become engrossed in constructing the best pillow fort ever seen, easing up remarkably once she had something to do.

Adrien found himself  a little swept away by her enthusiasm - he’d seen this side of her before, but not ever as himself.  _ I suppose I know why, now, _ he thought to himself, tucking the last few pillows into the fort before standing to admire their handiwork.

They had clipped one of the sheets to the edge of her bed, penning them in with the computer - the bed being elevated, it made a great starting point. Having connected that to another sheet, they’d formed the sides with the chaise and the computer chair, and they’d weighted the back edge down with the multitudinous pillows and the cat cushion. There was a soft, plushy quilt spread out on the floor, and a light blanket pushed to one side in case they got cold. “I  _ like _ this,” Adrien grinned, flopping down amongst the pillows and nestling in. “I like this a  _ lot _ . Can we do this more often?”

“Sure, I suppose so,” Marinette gave a slight blush, before ducking out of the makeshift tent and rummaging around somewhere. “Just looking for a final touch,” she explained.

“Can I see?”

“I mean, it’ll be easier to once I find them... Here we go,” Marinette sounded victorious, before turning the light off and throwing the room into darkness momentarily. A soft glow moved around outside the tent, and Adrien watched as she re-entered cradling a string of pink, flamingo-shaped fairy lights, untangling and clipping them to where the sheet met the edge of the bed above them. “See? Perfect!”

Adrien gave an amused chuckle, sitting back against the pillows, propping himself up on his elbows. “Perfect,” he echoed, looking up at the lights as Marinette fiddled with the computer, bringing up a stream for Pacific Rim. Before starting the movie, she pulled open one of the drawers on her desk organisers, retrieving a box of strawberry Pocky.

“Want a snack?” She offered, taking a seat next to him as the opening studio credits panned across the screen, tearing the box open with her thumb.

“Those are like fancy biscuit sticks, right?” Adrien asked, looking at the box. 

“Yeah, covered in icing, try one!” Marinette took a biscuit from the box, sticking it in her mouth like a lollipop before offering the box to Adrien.

A thought briefly crossed Adrien’s mind, an image, though he didn’t think he could pull it off himself without the suit, the air of bravado that being Chat Noir allowed. Instead, he reached and took a single pocky from the box, like a  _ normal person _ , taking a bite off the icing-covered end as the first kaiju smashed into the Golden Gate Bridge on screen. “You know, rumour has it that snacks are the way to a guy’s heart.”

Marinette reclined a little against the pillows, clearly a little tense still, but notably less than before as she picked another pocky from the box, toying with it as she finished the first. After a moment, she left the box between the two of them so they could both snack when they wanted to.

They watched the film quietly for about twenty minutes, occasionally reaching for another pocky, mostly sitting riveted to the screen as the Gipsy Danger fought Knifehead off the coast of Anchorage. Both of them noticeably flinched as Yancy was torn from the Jaeger, sharply enough that they both looked at each other in concern before scooting a little closer for comfort’s sake.

_ I couldn’t bear to lose a partner like that _ , Marinette thought, a shudder running down her spine at the thought of losing Chat. She reached for another pocky, brow furrowing as Raleigh unloaded a plasma round into Knifehead with what energy he had left.

Her fingers brushed Adrien’s, sending another sensation along her spine, a jolt this time. She looked at him again, imagining for a moment that she saw another blonde. A trick of the light, of course - there was no way - but it threw her all the same.

“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Adrien spoke first, concerned, moving his hand away from hers, instead gently placing it on her shoulder.

“No, just-” She fumbled for words. “I’m so glad we don’t get Kaiju here…”

“Same… But hey, it’s just a movie, and we have superheroes if that ever does happen. Right?” He gave a little smile…

… Before cheekily taking the last pocky for his own and sticking it in his mouth. A sin Marinette simply would not stand for.

Without really giving the endeavour too much thought, Marinette leant over and chomped a solid half of the pocky away, reclining back to where she was before really realising what it was she’d done.

Adrien’s eyes went wide, cheeks reddening slightly; he was fine with it, but honestly hadn’t expected her to do anything that could be considered that forward, but here he was. Of course, watching her slowly turn red as he confirmed this assumption was adorable.

He scooted a little closer, reaching his closer arm around her reassuringly. He felt her stiffen up a little, again, but she relaxed after a moment, focusing again on the movie, watching as the battered and broken Gipsy Danger hauled itself up onto the shore, collapsing, before Raleigh emerged something similar. She even snuggled closer after a little while, as she became invested in the film.

“You know,” she began, sounding far less shaky than before, “this is pretty good. I could get used to this.”

“I did ask earlier if we could do this more often,” Adrien smirked, propping himself up a bit better and gazing somewhat dreamily at Marinette.

She cleared her throat, casting a brief look at him, then back to the screen. “I- uh. Maybe we could make this like a… a regular thing? Like, as in, here, more of this, yes, but… other places too?”

She was looking up at him with a ridiculously endearing expression, cheeks pinker than the pocky they’d shared. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he answered, giving his most dignified expression, “I would be honoured.”  _ If years of watching romantic comedies have taught me anything _ , he thought,  _ this is the part where- _

Marinette pulled him suddenly into a hug like a vicegrip.  _ Close enough _ , thought Adrien, smiling as he pulled her closer, appreciating her warmth.

They stayed like that for a while, movie largely ignored as Adrien traced little circles on Marinette’s back. It was only when Marinette pulled back to look up at him again that his cheeks reddened, catching himself looking at her lips.

Though, when he averted his eyes to hers, he caught her doing the exact same thing…

… Before a pillow collided with the side of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've retired my original works for chapters 2 and 3, they exist 100% here now. In the meantime, I'm gonna try to update approximately weekly (expect posts to be at an odd time / to have British spellings of things, I'm Australian and get my writing kicks around midnight)! Expect gratuitous references to various other media because sneaky quotes are life. This episode brought to you by 'I've been watching Pacific Rim a lot because I haven't been able to get out and see the new one yet and wow, they're VERY drift compatible'.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments!


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